Ayers Rock (Uluru) - Rain in the Desert (Australia Part 35)

In the morning, we flew from Sydney to the Red Centre. There was chaos at the airport, with new queues being set up to extend the wait at the bag drop counter. Gradually, the flights that were about to depart were called. Then we were allowed to push our way out of the line (not easy with luggage) and go to the counters for soon-to-depart flights. This happened to us too, after waiting in the normal line for a while.

During the flight, we were already able to catch a first glimpse of the Red Centre before landing at Ayers Rock Airport.

After a first stroll through the resort village (Yulara consists of various hotels, shops, and restaurants for tourists) and a lunch with kangaroo burger and pizza, we headed towards Uluru.

We drove around the sacred mountain of the Aborigines by car. Along the way, we got out at various points to observe it from all perspectives.

We also took a short hike right at the foot of the mountain.

We visited one of the two points for sunrise and sunset observation (Talinguru Nyakunytjaku) in the afternoon, so we could stand alone on one of the grandstands and enjoy the view in peace.

There was only one other visitor there, but she used the place for a Skype call to Germany - in the middle of nowhere, there was free Wi-Fi here.

our car in front of Uluru

In the evening, we drove to the parking lot with the creatively named 'Sunset Viewpoint' for sunset observation.

Although we were about an hour early, some others were already waiting at their cars for the natural spectacle.

Unfortunately, it was quite cloudy, so the Uluru did not glow in a beautiful red color.

The next morning, we had planned to hike around the entire mountain. However, after we arrived, we decided to take a guided tour to watch the sunrise at Ayers Rock.

The tour started early at 4:30 am with our guide picking us up. It was raining, and we had to jump over puddles on our way to the pickup point. This was not what we had imagined our stay in the desert to be like.

So instead of going to a sand dune for sunrise and breakfast outdoors, we waited for the first rays of sunlight at a regular viewpoint and then returned to a hotel for breakfast.

Afterward, we drove to the Mala Walk, a hiking trail at the base of Uluru. As we strolled to a waterhole, our guide told us about the stories and sacred sites of the Aborigines.

Later on, the Kuniya Walk led us to another waterhole, which is said to be guarded by a water snake that can be found in the rock formations.

Finally, we visited the Cultural Centre, where we learned more about the indigenous people of this area through an exhibition, some of which was available in German.

When you wake up early, you can make the most of the day, so we had time in the morning to take a walk through the Yulara resort village.

There are also viewpoints there with a view of Uluru and paths through desert vegetation.

Yulara consists of several hotels, as well as apartments and facilities for the approximately 1000 employees who live here (at least during the season).

In the afternoon, we drove to Kata Tjuta, which means "many heads" in the language of the Aborigines. The rock formation consists of several domes and gorges and is part of the national park.

After the obligatory stops at the viewpoints, we hiked into the Walpa Gorge. When we reached the end of the gorge, thunder started rumbling and the sky darkened.

Nevertheless, we decided to still continue with the next planned hike to the 'Valley of the Winds'.

Just as we arrived at the Karu viewpoint and turned around, it started raining for real. The rain turned into heavy downpours, and we ended up completely soaked. Since the temperature had risen to over 30°C by then, it wasn't too uncomfortable.

After the rain, the sun came out again, and we saw a rainbow appear over the hills.

As we drove the roughly 50 km back to Uluru, the sky became more and more cloudy, and eventually there were lightning flashes in the sky. When heavy rain started, we doubted our plan to go to Uluru again for sunset.

Shortly before sunset, Uluru glowed in a beautiful red color once more before a cloud covered the sun again.